For air conditioning systems that typically use a refrigerant and a compressor in a closed loop system wherein the compressor raises the pressure of the refrigerant and blows the high pressure refrigerant through an orifice restriction that drops the refrigerant pressure while subsequently cooling the refrigerant, wherein the cooled refrigerant is communicated through an air to refrigerant heat exchanger with the resulting output being cooled air that is used to cool the interior of a building, or a food/drink cooler, freezer or the like. Once the refrigerant communicates through the air heat exchanger, the refrigerant is warmed up in temperature, wherein the refrigerant next goes to what is called a condenser which is basically another air to refrigerant heat exchanger that uses atmospheric air typically with a forced air fan to remove the same amount of heat from the refrigerant that it picked up in cooling the air previously, once the refrigerant communicates through the condenser it then goes to the compressor for the cycle to repeat itself in a continuous manner.
For the previously described system to work properly the refrigerant must be pure in concentration and mixture within the closed loop system, as the heat transfer properties of the refrigerant are critical to the closed loop system working, thus the introduction of contaminates in the refrigerant is very undesirable, this is why normally these systems are “factory sealed” so as to minimize the opportunity of contamination, i.e. especially in the case of a home refrigerator for instance that will run many years with no maintenance. However, on building air conditioning systems and commercial food/beverage cooler and freezers, and for other industrial application where cooling is required, for maintenance purposes the closed system must be opened up, for example to replace or maintain the compressor, replace/repair seals, vales, heat exchangers, and the like. Thus when the repairs and/or replacements are complete and the refrigerant must be replaced within the system, there is an issue of contamination to remove as when the system was previously opened; wherein water, dirt, dust, particulates, and the like have found their way inside of the system, and when the new refrigerant is put into the system, a vacuum pump/compressor is used to remove the contaminates so that as near as possible only “pure” refrigerant remains in the system, thus resulting in acceptable cooling performance.
The end result of this is that the vacuum pump/compressor sucks these contaminates out of the system where they end up in the vacuum pump/compressor oil, further these contaminates can harm the vacuum pump/compressor as well by causing excessive wear in the rotors, and other close clearance moving parts. Thus, because of this; the vacuum pump/compressor oil must be changed frequently, even multiple times on vacuuming out a single air conditioning system, so the need for convenient, clean, and efficient oil changing of the vacuum pump/compressor is important. Further as these oil changes are done in the field or at the project site, the location there is not as convenient as a garage for having the tools and area for oil changes, and as in the commercial world, it is typical that the air conditioning unit is located on the roof of a building, thus this vacuum pump/compressor oil change would be done of the roof, not a easy place to do the oil change, so the oil change is typically done on a very impromptu basis such as using a bucket with the vacuum pump/compressor placed on an elevated ledge, however, when operating this way the oil change is messy and environmentally unsafe as when the oil drain plug is removed the oil discharges under some pressure, typically spraying wherein only a portion of the oil goes into the bucket and the rest of the oil ends up on the roof, walls, and on the person changing the oil. This is as opposed to changing oil in an automotive engine, wherein the oil is changed in a garage as it is changed much less frequently also, plus the oil drains out at a slow rate because the oil in an automotive engine in not under any pressure when the engine is off.
As the vacuum pump/compressor has unique needs especially as related to oil changing, a specialized drain apparatus unique to vacuum pumps/compressors could be very useful, however, in looking at the prior art for specialized oil drain apparatus, only applications for the automotive industry were found, however, following is a sampling of the most relevant prior art in the drain apparatus arts. Starting with U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,824 to Krstovic, disclosed is an automotive oil drainage catch pan having an open top for receiving used engine oil drained therein and has a reservoir on one end of the pan with a discharge spout and a container connected by a coupling to the spout. In Krstovic, after collecting the used oil in the catch pan, the catch pan is tilted causing the used oil to flow to the reservoir and drain through the spout into the container for containment and transport to a suitable location, wherein having the drain or catch pan and reservoir are in fluid communication.
Continuing in the automotive oil change arts, however, being for residual new oil recovery in U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,897 to Scofield disclosed is a collection system for gathering new oil or other fluids from individual small containers usually, but not necessarily, of the single quart variety. A ported container in Scofield having a sloping shape on at least one side akin to a funnel contains an outlet port for the draining oil to pass into a storage container through a manifold type arrangement. The opposing side of the container in Scofield contains six ports adapted to receive single quart oil containers or the like, inverted, thereby allowing the dregs of oil to drain out onto the slopes of the opposing side of the container. The outlet of the container in Scofield is particularly adapted to fit into the opening of a storage container, and legs on the container complement the fit to a storage container. The storage container in Scofield is provided with a drain in order that the oil might be saved and used in an engine as originally intended, further the storage container also includes a window with indicia to quickly show the amount of oil recovered, see column 1, lines 54-67, and column 2, lines 1-2.
Further in the automotive prior art drain pan area, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,866 to Pollacco disclosed is an oil catch pan is provided as a self-supporting structure for the oil that is drained only, having a bottom wall and an upstanding peripheral sidewall with a rim where the pan is open at the top. The pan in Pollacco is designed to be slid under an automotive motor vehicle and used to catch the oil being drained from the crankcase. The bottom wall in Pollacco of the pan is initially provided with a closure which is designed to be effectively opened, e.g. by pulling a conveniently located tab or by interaction with a piercing structure which is fitted between the pan and the jug, see column 2, lines 18-27. Pollacco's focus is primarily upon the drain mechanism that allows a remote drain port opening to be effectuated without an individual immersing or wetting their hand in the oil.
Next, again in the automotive prior art drain pan area, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,156 to Senour disclosed an apparatus for collecting, storing and dumping used motor oil includes an oil container having a top, a bottom and sides and having at least one funnel connector opening sized and configured to removably receive a mating funnel connector member therein. In Senour, at least one funnel having a funnel cup and a funnel connector member is connected to and in communication with the funnel cup, the funnel connector member having a size and shape which is removably lockably receivable into the at least one funnel connector opening, see column 2, lines 13-22.
Continuing, also again in the automotive drain arts, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,806 to Davis, et al. disclosed an oil drain kit for collecting used motor oil comprising an oil drain collection pan, having a bottom wall raised at the center and sloping to its marginal extremity where it is joined with a side wall having a radial flange at the top of the wall and which extends circumferentially thereabout with a downwardly extending edge portion. The bottom wall in Davis, et al. is provided at its extremity adjacent its junction with the side wall with at least three discharge openings, each with a funnel spout extending downwardly there from. The spouts in Davis, et al. are adapted to receive the necks of empty oil containers which connect therewith and serve as supporting legs for the drain collection pan. A tray in Davis, et al. receives the containers when placed therein and facilitates sliding the kit under the oil drain plug of a motor to collect used oil draining there from and for removing it when draining is completed. The tray in Davis, et al. when inverted also serves as a cover for the kit, which may include empty or full oil containers in its drain pan for storage purposes or for marketing. Projections on the inner face in Davis, et al. of the tray side wall are adapted to latchingly engage the edge of the drain pan flange when the tray cover is slipped thereover. A circular bead in Davis, et al. on the bottom of the tray becomes located at the top of the kit when the tray is used as a cover and allows stacking of kits and prevents an upper kit from sliding off the lower kit on which it rests. However, there is some concern in Davis, et al. that the height of the drain pan that is supported by typical 1 quart or 1 liter oil bottles would be too high to work with a lot of cars without jacking the vehicle up from the floor, however, trucks should not have a height problem with the drain pan being too high to insert under the engine oil drain plug without jacking the vehicle up off the floor.
What is needed in the field is a drain apparatus that specifically accommodates an integrated system that is specific for being in contact with and the drain apparatus physically supporting the machine or vacuum pump/compressor in this case, wherein the drain apparatus makes changing the oil in the machine as easy and clean as possible. Thus the better drain apparatus would support the machine such that the oil drain area would be custom fit for the machine oil drain down area capturing the pressurized oil splatter while at the same time providing an oil transport and storage container, plus a spill catch when the machine is being filled with new oil.